UPDATE

They expressed shock over the death of Tanji Dewberry, 37, a vice president at the WL Ross investment firm in New York and a children’s author whose first book was published last year.

Dewberry and her son, Evan Soler, 8, both were pronounced dead at the scene, according to Kathy Carter, spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office. She would not comment on the cause of the fire, which is under investigation.

Evan was a second grader at the Heywood Avenue Elementary School in Orange. During the summer, he would set up a lemonade stand outside the house, according to a neighbor, Carol Hughes. She said that Evan was an ebullient boy who served a variety of refreshments including strawberry lemonade, with assistance from his proud mother.

A single mom, Dewberry was inspired by her son to write her first book, “Oh Fiddlesticks!” Evan was diagnosed with ADHD in 2011, Dewberry explained in an interview with the website, Examiner.com. She said it was a learning experience helping Evan manage his ADHD and she wrote the book to help families develop strategies to cope with mood swings and aggressive behavior.

"Tanji was an absolutely amazing, driven beautiful person and a terrific mother to Evan," said Nyle Washington, a publicist who worked with Dewberry on the book. "Her fierce love of her son showed in every page. I'm truly saddened by this news."

An image from Tanji Dewberry's Facebook pageFacebook

In the Examiner interview, Dewberry said she was planning to write a follow-up book this summer, even as she continued to work as a financial executive. She hoped to adapt “Oh Fiddlesticks!” into a TV show.

Last year, Dewberry participated in a weekend gathering for mothers of special needs kids, the Happy Mama Conference and Retreat in North Carolina, according to the Examiner.

A spokeswoman for WL Ross said that the mood is grim at the firm’s headquarters and Dewberry’s colleagues are in mourning. Marlo Garnsworthy, Dewberry’s book editor, said in an email that she had just learned of the author’s death and was “terribly sad.”